Set Off, My Darling
by Drake Missing
Summary: There is love, then there is sacrifice. Sacrifice of heart, soul, and body. But none as sacrificial as time. Harry has been in a coma for three years, and Draco finally makes his decision.


Draco watched with bloodshot eyes as the figure in white sheets breathed softly, chest evenly rising and falling like a soft new moon tide. Draco loved to think of the man's chest that way, calm and collected now, but come full moon, rapid, rugged, heaving with a passion. Yet, the man still lay there, unmoving, pale, eyes closed delicately. If those eyes were to open, to shine like the emeralds they were, Draco would never ever frown again. He'd be in constant happiness. Nothing but a bright emotion, a sunflower in the field of dying daisies. Others would be trudging through life, but not Draco, if this man opened his sealed eyes.

"Draco?" a voice said softly, a small hand placing itself on his shoulder. Draco turned his head, whipping his tears away to keep distractions from his visitor.

"Sorry, Luna. I didn't hear you come in," he sniffed, the girl placing herself on the chair next to the bed Draco was placed upon.

"You're looking exceedingly handsome today," she said in her bright, usual drawl. Draco snorted.

"According to Hermione, I look as if Death is about to take me." he countered, trying to send a light smile her way. He looked down at the floor, finding her shoes next to her bare feet, toenails painted evergreen and silver. He smiled.

"Slytherin won the House cup this year." he said happily, watching as she wiggled her toes.

"I love our secret language. So odd, yet fitting." Luna said kindly, showing her fingernails. They were painted blue and pink, the colors magically fixed to swap between the two every few seconds. Draco looked at her, removing his hand from the man's arm to take hers.

"Your pregnant?" he asked, Luna nodding.

"Twins. It gave Neville quite the shock. With our luck, he will wake just as their born." Luna looked over to the comatose man, a twinkle of sadness in her eyes. Draco joined her, staring at the seemingly sleeping figure. "He looks as if he's dreaming soundly."

"He mewled earlier," Draco informed, turning to look back at the girl. She gleamed brightly, moving to kneel at the bedside.

"Does that mean he'll wake soon? Can he can hear us?" she asked, Draco joining her on the floor.

"I think he always has, responding with his own snarky comments. And yes." Luna laughed lightly.

"Mind if I say something?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the man. Draco nodded.

"I hope you can hear me, since talking to a lifeless body is quite odd, even for me." Luna began, placing her hand on Draco's, which rested on the mans. "Nevertheless, I need to say this. You're missing so much. You and Draco both. Ron misses you, Hermione misses you, Ginny misses you, George misses you, and if he was here, Fred would be, too." Draco's breath caught in his throat, remembering how torn and defeated the man had been at the sight of the ginger twin on the stretcher, his face frozen with a soft smile. Luna cleared her throat, continuing. "Neville and I are finally going to have a baby. Ron and Hermione are planing on having a second one now. You could be teaching them, or hunting nargles with me, or helping Ron catch bad guys. Draco hasn't left your side one day since you went into this coma three years ago, and we only hope for you to come back. You're missing so much. We all love you, and only hope for you to get better soon."

They remained in silence, waiting to see if the man's eyes would flutter open, responding to what the girl had said with a 'You spoke too soon'. Luna's grip tightened on Draco's hand a moment before she stood again, placing her feet back in the shoes.

"I know I've only been here five minutes, but I'm afraid I must tend to daddy's plums." She knelt beside Draco again, the two hugging tightly. "Everyone will be visiting tomorrow, so please shower."

"Thank you, Luna." Draco said, accepting the small kiss the strange girl gave him. She walked out, waving a goodbye, a trail of light blonde happiness following her as she left. Draco's smile faded almost immediately, his eyes watering again. His head fell onto the bed, his voice already quivering.

"Why won't you wake up? I'm so defeated without you, pretending to be stable. I'm about to break. Please, Harry, just show me you can hear me. I need to know if your still there, Harry. I miss you so much. Please..." Draco held his breath a moment, eyes pressed closed.

Only silence greeted his plea, the monitor beeping steadily, shallow breathing continuing, sobbing echoing in the dim room. Draco had cried before, possibly hundreds of times in the three years Harry laid in comatose. He refused to call it crying though. Crying was for the weak. To others, he was simply expressed his emotions in the most common way. Only to Harry, did he ever admit he was crying. Only to Harry, did he ever say 'I love you'. He had said it everyday to this bedside, hoping, someday, those eyes would flutter open, greeting him with affection. His dazzling smile, his sweet scent, everything returning to normal.

"Draco, bossman says I have to kick you out again. You can come back tomorrow," a healer said sweetly, stepping into the room. Draco looked up at him, wiping away tears.

"Healer Schreiter." he said, coughing to strengthen his voice in the presence of the healer. Schreiter waked to Draco's side, shoving a vial in his face.

"You'll need it if your ever going to Apperate home. Even if your just taking the Knight Bus, you still need it." The vial was labeled 'Depression Elixir', something Draco had become accustomed to drinking over the years.

"Thank you, Macintosh." Draco murmured, grabbing the potion from the light-haired man. "I'll pay you tomorrow." Schreiter snorted.

"Please. I told you when I started to tend to you on top of Harry, your treatment was going to be free of charge. Of course," Schreiter glanced at Harry, who slept in silence. "His treatment are going to start becoming expensive to cover, even with the Ministry backing the payments."

"What are you saying?" Draco said, glaring at the healer. Macintosh kept calm, closing his eyes.

"I've been his Healer these past three years, since his magic collapsed after overuse at the final battle. I've gotten into the habit of checking on him three times every day. I couldn't help but notice some depressing dilemmas. His bone and muscle structure are starting to deteriorate. His brain is functioning, but still in a dormant state. According to his last test, his white blood cells are lower than normal, lack of sunlight is effecting his immune system, and his veins are pushing through his skin. The only good thing I've noticed is his chest still rises." Schreiter explained, his eyes remaining closed behind the square glasses. He ran a stressed hand through his chestnut hair, making it stand up more than normal. Draco fell to his knees, the healer placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tell it to me straight," Draco said, staring down at the tiled floor. "Is he going to ever open his eyes again?"

"From a human standpoint, we hope so; but medically, speaking?" Draco looked up at him from the floor, his spirits falling when he saw Schreiter wipe away his own tear.

"There is a two in three chance he will never open his eyes again."

Draco couldn't blink. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't speak. He couldn't move. All he could do was stare in silence as the healer let a single tear fall. Draco slowly turned his head. Harry laid with a calm aura, if only it would be disrupted. With panic, sadness, anger, happiness. Draco's dreams shattered, his heart seeming to weigh a million bricks heavier. He tried to cry at that moment, but his tears had dried for the day.

"I'll give you a minute. Then I'll escort you home," Mac said unsteadily, turning to leave. Draco nodded, keeping his eyes on Harry. The door closed behind him, complete privacy. Draco rose again to his feet, unsteady on his toes. He stumbled to Harry's bedside, sitting on the edge to remain still. He cupped Harry's face, feeling the steady air exiting and entering his small frame of a body. Draco ran his fingers through his hair, the lightning scar flashing at him. He leaned down, kissing it lightly.

"I'm not coming back, Harry. I'm sorry." he whispered, kissing him one last time in the lips. Draco stood, uncorking the vial of potion, down the contents in one go. He walked toward the door, pushing it open, finding Schreiter waiting for him.

"Done already?" Draco nodded.

"I won't be coming back." Draco said sadly, taking his traveling cloak from the doctor. He gave him an odd, worried expression.

"You're not going to-"

"-commit suicide? No, I'm not that stupid. I'm just not coming back to this room. Not until this is all over." Draco informed, wrapping the fabric around his body. "Besides, I have three years worth of paperwork to file."

"Sounds as though you're giving up," Mac noted, leading him down the white corridor Draco knew well. He smiled weakly.

"No, I haven't. But, upon hearing what you've told me tonight, with myself so far off track, if I were to lose him soon, I'd never be able to start again." he said wisely, Schreiter pressing the elevator button. "I have yet to take over my father's and mother's Gringotts accounts since their deaths, and I need to rehire House Elves, and put the Manor in my nam, and I need to reboot Father's company. I'll be busy."

"Glad to hear you're finally getting back on your feet." They stepped into the elevator, steadily going down. "But this decision is insanely sudden. Just yesterday you threw a fit because Hermione tried to get you to leave for their anniversary dinner. Granted, you went, but you came back not two hours later."

"I realize that. I'm just now coming to terms with the situation, and seeing Hermione about to burst into tears told me I have become steadily obsessed." Draco explained, looking down at his shoes. "It's become a monster, really. My need to be at Harry's bedside, waiting for him to wake, when I know he won't."

"Remember, this is Harry Potter we're talking about. He does have an act for beating the odds." Schreiter said with a tingle of hope, his brown eyes bright.

"He does, doesn't he?" Draco said with a laugh. It vanished quickly when the elevator came to a stop, the doors opening to the lobby. "I can get home on my own."

"Fine, just let me make sure you make it out the door." They walked the rest of the way in silence, the occasional nurse saying hello to Healer Schreiter. Draco smiled, proud the doctor had become so popular since his assignment to Harry's case. They stepped out the doors, into the quiet night. Mac pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, placing one in his mouth before snapping his finger, a small flame flickering from the tip. Draco watched with a smile as he lit the end, taking a drag.

"I had a knack for Pyromancy at Hogwarts." he said, letting the smoke leak from his lips.

"What House?" Draco asked, the fond memory of Hogwarts somehow sparking a tad bit of happiness. Schreiter gave him a smirk.

"Slytherin," he said with a shove, making Draco stumble. He couldn't tell if it was the potion he had just taken or his own will, but he laughed, enjoying the intimate moment with the well-known healer.

"They won the House cup this year."

"Good for them." A nurse came running from behind them, obviously out of breath. She was the ebony haired one that stopped to take his files.

"Healer Schreiter, they need you on the fourth floor. Psycho got a hold of a wand, flames everywhere!" she gasped, her face red. Schreiter dropped the cigarette, stomping it out with his toe.

"Duty calls," he said hurriedly, Draco amazed at his calm composure. Draco closed his eyes, about to appearate away. "Hey, Malfoy!" Draco turned. Mac had his head slightly outside the door.

"Take care of yourself." Draco nodded, waving a goodbye to the back of the healers head as he was sucked away.

-Five months later-

Draco stepped through the hospital doors, a bouquet of roses and lilies in his arm. The color had returned to his skin, and his cheeks had returned to their normal state. His eyes were light, and his hair was back to it's silky glory. He was looked as he did when he was younger, handsome and heathy. He hadn't been in those white halls since he felt to return his life back to normal. Of course, he had meet success, but still, he wasn't complete.

The receptionist looked up from her computer, her glasses falling from her face. Draco smiled.

"Good evening to you, too, Natalie." he said with a grin, walking by on light feet. He stepped in the elevator, reaching his desired floor in a matter of moments. The doors opened, a man with chestnut hair and thick rimmed glasses walking past the elevator. He stopped, his face rising.

"Draco!" Healer Schreiter said, the file he was holding being placed under his arm. "Merlin's beard, how have you been?" The healer brought the blonde into a hug, careful not to crush the flowers.

"Well, my accounts are back up, the Manor is in my name, Pansy, my old fiancée, is happily married to a prestigious man in Norway, and I haven't had a sleepless night in three months. All in all, pretty good." Draco replied, trying his best to return the hug. Schreiter looked bright.

"It's really amazing you chose today of all days to be here. Hermione, Ron, Luna and the others are all in his room right now. I'm actually returning to my office to drop off his files as we speak." Draco smiled, readjusting his cloak at the thought of other people seeing him. Schreiter gave him a look. "Still a pompous git."

"Just a tad nervous. I haven't done anything but work, not socializing a bit since I left." Schreiter gave him a shove in the room's direction.

"Better get moving. Last time I was in there, Hermione was about to burst into tears. I still have to check on my other patients, so I won't be in there for about another fifteen minutes. I have a feeling you'll like what you see." He walked away, a glee-filled smile on his face. Draco walked down the hall, enjoying the feeling of about to see his darling again. He turned the knob on the door, opening it slowly.

"Hey, is there room left in here for one more?" he called into the room, a large grin on his face. A room of heads snapped his way, shocked faces all around. Ron stood from his seat, the chair falling to the ground. Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Alright, I know I'm fabulous, no need to stare," he said, trying to lighten the heavy mood, walking to the bedside, placing the bouquet on the dresser. "Anyone else notice how light-hearted Healer Schreiter was?" He intentionally kept his eyes off the bed in hope not to break down in front of the group. Hermione stood next to Ron, trying to hold him back by the shoulders. Neville and Luna sat on the couch, Luna's stomach was showing a bump, making the blonde smile. Ginny sat alone, glaring at him with fury.

"What are you doing here?" Ron growled.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm visiting Harry."

"You didn't answer owls, ignore our fire calls, ward us out, and haven't stepped foot in here for five months, and you have the balls to show up here?" he yelled. Hermione stood, struggling to hold him back. Draco glared at him.

"In case you haven't read the papers, Weasley, I was busy rebuilding a multimillion galleon company from the ashes." he said coldly, trying to control his anger against the ginger.

"Oh, I know, classic Malfoy, groveling on hand and knee for a quick buck. How many arses did you have to kiss to get all that money back?" Ron spat.

"I didn't kiss anyone's arse! I was rebuilding my life from the ground up! In five busy, stressful, tedious, challenging months of paperwork, management, and careful coursework. I'm sorry for getting my act together, would you prefer me on the edge of killing myself, still sitting the chair you plopped yourself in?" he argued.

"You selfish, bloody prick!" Ginny screamed, jumping from her spot. Her face was red with anger, her chest heaving. "I'm still on tour for the Cannons and I make an effort to visit every week! But you drop off the face of the earth, making us read about you in the bloody Daily Prophet because you were too busy making money?"

"I wasn't doing it for the money!" Draco yelled back, stepping closer to the white sheeted bed.

"For what then? What reason could you possibly have?" Ron said, shoving Hermione off his arms. Draco breathed in, trying to calm his rising voice to a smoother tone.

"To create a stable, happy life for Harry to return to when he waked," Draco said calmly, forcing his features to calm to their more joyful state. He pulled his sleeve up, revealing a giant, uneven, ugly scar on his forearm where the Dark Mark used to be.

"Do you see what is missing, Weasley?" Draco demanded. "The Dark Mark is gone. I had studied for two months trying to figure out how to remove it. I had read such horrid reversal rituals, some involving human sacrifice. I had reoccurring nightmares. Nothing worked, not even muggle laser removal. In the end, I sliced it off myself because I didn't want it to be there when he woke up. It hurt like a real bitch. But I didn't want Harry to doubt me, and I knew this was his largest insecurity. I'm doing what I'm doing because I love Harry. Not for me, for him."

"If it really was for Harry, then why don't you visit? According to Healer Schreiter, you haven't been here one day." Hermione said, forcing Ron to sit down. She didn't sound angry, just disappointed, making a large weight regrow in Draco's chest.

"If I stayed, I might not be able to leave again."

"Is that so horrible?" Neville asked calmly, taking Luna's hand. "Have you even looked at him yet?" Draco shook his head. A fist collided with the side of his face, the world blurry a moment.

"Malfoy, you little shit!" Ginny screamed, her tight fist still inches from Draco's face. His eyes were closed, he could feel the blood swirling on his tongue. He spat onto the floor, his blood and spit mixing into a deep red color.

"Ginny!" Hermione yelled, reaching for her wand. Luna was doing the same.

"Put them away," Healer Schreiter said, walking calmly into the crowded room. "This is a healing environment. Any more antics like that and I'll have to choice but to kick you all out." he said sternly. The Healer pulled his own wand from his pocket, shoving Ginny away to set Draco's jaw back into place.

"Better?"

"Immensely, thank you." Draco responded, cracking his neck. The man turned to face the group, anger redeveloping on his face.

"This was not what I expected at the thought of Draco returning." he started, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "You all have no idea what Draco has been through. If you even stopped an actually thought about how much work rebuilding a company is, you wouldn't be acting like this."

"But he-"

"Please be quiet, Ronald, or you'll wake the patient." Draco's ears pricked, his head jerking into the air.

"What did you say?" Draco asked in a whisper. Everyone looked at him with confused eyes, all except the healer. "Wake him? Is that even possible?"

"You mean you don't know?" Luna said sweetly, her smile caring and loving.

"Don't know what?" Draco asked, starting to panic. "Is something wrong with Harry? Oh Merlin..."

"Nothing is wrong with him. If you let go of your pride and looked at the bed, you'll see that Harry is just fine." Hermione said, turning her head to look at the person's face. Draco stayed still a moment, turning to the doctor. Healer Schreiter nodded, Draco already tearing.

He closed his eyes, breathing in through his nose.

"Merlin, I don't know if I can." he breathed, his eyelashes laden with tears. A soft hand touch gripped his, his eyes shooting open. He knew those fingertips by heart.

"Draco, I'm here."


End file.
